As The Tables Turn
by cgal120
Summary: [Rewrite of "Wishful Thinking"] After being invited to visit, Arthur is now stuck in Amelia's home with her as a torrential storm floods the streets. During that storm, the pair argue and say something that leads to Amelia learning a lesson she won't soon forget. M for later chapters. Nyotalia. UKxFem!US.
1. The Wish

**As The Tables Turn**

**Chapter One**

**The Wish**

Rain cascaded down the large window panes sending shadows of the ripples flowing into the vast room. Outside the enormous building, the wind was howling like a feral animal causing the two inhabitants to look around in unease as they tried to get on.

Arthur was curled up in an arm chair, headphones in and reading a book by the dim light of the reading lamp next to him. He smiled as the various punk singers drowned out the sound of the torrential storm raging outside. He was dressed in simple grey sweatpants and a pale green t-shirt which matched the bright eyes scanning the page carefully before turning it over and continuing to read. It wasn't one of his own books that he had brought with him; it was one of Amelia's. Having not seen his former ward in some time, when she invited him to come and visit her house for a little while it only took a few minutes of thought before he accepted the request and took the next flight out of London all the way to her beautiful home in New Hampshire.

After a while, he looked over to the other blonde in the room. She was sprawled out across the sofa, her own headphones connect to a Nintendo 3DS, playing something that Arthur couldn't quite make out at the angel he was sat – it was either a horror game or Animal Crossings. She was dressed similarly to him, but her sweatpants were black and her tight-fitting shirt was a shade of blue that rivalled the intense shade of her eyes. She was smaller than Arthur but only by a little bit, and her feet (covered in the fluffiest pink bed socks Arthur had ever seen) hung from the arm of the sofa as she distracted herself from the storm the best she could. Both blondes jumped as a thunderous boom shook the building, Arthur pulling his headphones out and hurrying over to the window.

"Oh, my God!" he said nervously, as a flash of lightning illuminated the scene outside. "Amelia… we're flooded in!"

Amelia, who had been clutching her chest with fright, looked up at the messy blonde by the window.

"What? Arthur, you'd better not be messing around," she said, her nerves making her voice waver ever so slightly. Arthur turned and looked at her incredulously, his anxious eyes flashing as the room lit up once more.

"Why the bloody fuck would I joke about a fucking flood, you dunce?" he snapped.

"Because you have a sick sense of humour and always like to pick on me for the things I'm afraid of?" retorted Amelia, furrowing her eyebrows as she watched him tense.

"I should be the one questioning your humour!" Arthur argued, throwing his arms out wide as he shot her a foul glare.

"Huh?"

"You invite me into your country to visit for some reason I don't know, only to get stuck in the damn house with you because you decide to take me to one of the places we couldn't escape if one of your freak storms happened! And look! Look! We're stuck!"

"Wow, you ramble when you're pissed…" Amelia sighed. "Look, man… I thought that we could hang out for bit, you know? I've not seen you in ages and every time there's been a meeting in your country, you've always ended up going out drinking with some of the others or leaving to go straight home. You didn't have to accept the damn invitation!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and his forefinger, Arthur turned back to the storm, choosing to ignore the American nation so that no blood was shed. He was getting tired of how the girl never thought before she spoke sometimes. It was rather infuriating and Arthur often found himself finding some way of venting his annoyance; whether it be beating up Francis or simply going for a walk. He could do neither at that moment, so simply sat down, put his music in his ears again and shut his eyes.

Amelia stared at him for a moment before lying down and carrying on with her game. She didn't understand why Arthur was so mad at her: all she had said was that he rambled when he got angry. She felt that it was a pretty obvious observation. She also questioned why he so pissed about the weather. It was a freak storm – they happened everywhere!

Before either could say another word, a simultaneous drum of thunder and burst of lightning happened so loud and so bright that they could both hear it through the volume of their music and game. They yelled in shock, jumped and crashed to the floor where they looked at each other around the coffee table and burst into laughter at the sight of one another. It lasted for a little while, both sitting up and disentangling themselves from their headphone chords.

"Well," Arthur chuckled, leaning against the armchair. "That was certainly an effective way to kill the tension."

"Yeah!" Amelia smiled. "It was almost like when I was a child…"

"Hmmm…"

"It's been a while since I last saw you laugh so freely like that."

"I've not had much to laugh about…"

"Well, that's because you're so aloof about everything," Amelia stated. "You need to let go every once in a while…"

Arthur sighed and shook his head. "You're too optimistic sometimes. However, I will have you know, there have been times in my life where I have let go. But those times have passed."

"You always act so… mature," Amelia observed. "I know that you've had centuries of experience, but you're still young. I mean, your human is 23, right? Live a little!"

Arthur, surprisingly, smiled softly at the American. "I have lived. That's why I am taking this break…"

"Dude, how much of a break do you need? You've been this way since the millennium. That was like… 14 years ago…"

"As you pointed out earlier, I have had centuries of life."

"I know what I'll do! Come Easter, I'll take you on an Easter egg hunt! We've only got a month to go and you know I can get you to do it!"

Arthur laughed again, making Amelia grin. She didn't know why, but seeing Arthur laugh like that (and knowing that it was she who had caused it) made her feel free and happy. Watching him laugh, she had the sudden urge to shift over to him and hug him tightly. She didn't though. She simply sat watching him, listening to his laugh. She heard it so rarely, it was almost like music to her; a song she forever wanted to leave on repeat. After a while, Arthur realised that the American was staring at him and faintly blushed.

"Why are you staring at me?" Arthur questioned, feeling unnerved by the silent staring from across the room. Amelia blinked, blushing brightly at getting caught.

"S-sorry," she stuttered. "I honestly had no idea I was!"

"Well, it was awkward so stop!"

"Aw, I made you blush!"

"You blushed t-"

His sentence was cut short by another simultaneous blast of thunder and lightning. He yelled in shock and hid his face, genuinely scared. Amelia was unsure what to do. She was frightened too, but as she looked over the Brit before him, she saw him shaking as he curled into himself. She didn't know whether she should go over and comfort him or if she'd get kicked in the crotch if she touched him.

"Arthur?"

The Brit jumped again, looking up at Amelia; his green eyes dotted with tears and a blush on his face. Amelia had never seen him look that scared before, especially during a storm. She could clearly remember the times she had curled up on the sofa or climbed into bed with Arthur during a storm, and the Brit had always protected her. He had kept a calm aura around him during storms, distracting the child from the scary noises and lights. Said child now watched the same man with older eyes, finally realising something she had never been able to back then; Arthur was scared too.

"Dude, are you okay?"

"I'm f-fine!"

"You don't seem fine," Amelia urged. "Why did you never tell me you were afraid of storms?"

"At the time, it never mattered," Arthur explained, wiping his eyes and sitting up straight. He steeled himself, tensing in case another bought of thunder and lightning happened all of a sudden – he didn't want to seem weak in front of Amelia. "You would always come to me upset, so I'd do my best to distract you. That distracted me, so storms never bothered me near you."

"You should have told you me."

"Amelia, there wasn't a point," Arthur sighed. "Knowing I was scared would only have scared you more. I was trying to protect you."

"That's stupid! I could handle myself! I'd have told you if I was scared!"

Arthur shook his head. "You clearly have no idea how difficult raising a child is."

"It can't be too hard. You did it."

"Amelia, you were a handful! You could run circles around me and not get tired! I had no idea what the fuck I was doing! Clearly, I didn't do a good job…"

"Childcare is easy!" Amelia sighed. "All's you need to do is feed 'em, clean 'em, play with 'em and change 'em."

"My God! You are so naïve!" Arthur groaned, shaking his head in disbelief. "Honestly, are you actually female? Do you honestly believe that that was all I had to do! My needs were second to yours because I knew, despite my own childhood, that you needed more than me! I pushed my fears away for a while to protect you from yours!"

"Pfft," Amelia scoffed. "Whatever…"

"I really did fuck up caring for you," Arthur said, not looking at Amelia. He stood up, his body illuminated by the flashes outside. "You are an ungrateful little bitch! I WISH YOU COULD SO HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS LOOKING AFTER YOU!"

Amelia stood up too, glaring at Arthur fiercely. Her hands balled into fists as her eyes dotted with frustrated tears. "SO DO I!"

At that moment, an explosive boom of thunder happened and the room was lit with a flash of lightning so bright they both had to close their eyes. Amelia screamed and fell backwards onto the sofa, groaning in shock as she caught her wrist awkwardly. When she opened her eyes again, she looked to where Arthur was stood to see he had disappeared.

"Arthur?" Amelia called. "Where are you?"

She got up and had a look around the living room, seeing no trace of Arthur anywhere. He'd probably run away to sulk, he concluded. Amelia shook her head then looked up as she heard a noise upstairs. Smiling slightly to herself, she climbed the stairs and head towards the guest room in which Arthur had been staying. It made sense he would run there to hide. She opened the door slowly and peaked inside.

"Arthur?" she asked. "Are you in here? I'm sorry for upsetting you… I just don't get what the big deal was… Also, your comment was sexist as shit…"

She entered the room cautiously knowing full well that Arthur had very good aim when it came to throwing things across rooms large or small. Looking around, she flinched as another flash of lightning happened. Blinking slightly, she saw a lump in the bed covers. It was small, almost the size of a teddy bear. However, as another flash and rumble happened, the American saw the lump move as though something had jumped beneath it.

Moving over to the bed and lifting the covers, Amelia's eyes widened as she saw a small bundle of green on the mattress. It was shaking, making soft noises that sounded like sobs and it shifted to look up at what had stolen its shield from the storm revealing messy blonde hair, green eyes and large eyebrows.

"…Arthur...?"

_**Notes:**_

**So updates from me have been pretty thin on the ground recently because of work and tiredness and lack of inspiration, but today I got a flash from the past and a large dose of inspiration that led to my decision for this story.**

**If you are clever, and follow me on Tumblr, you will know that this is a rewrite of an old story of mine – Wishful Thinking. I wasn't feeling it how it was before and felt I could do more with it as Amelia rather than Alfred, so here it is! **

**I'm leaving the first 3 and only chapters of Wishful Thinking up so you can see what it was and see how things have changed ever so slightly in this rewrite, and I hope you all get behind the story again.**

**I might update The Aftermath Is Secondary tonight as well… Depends on how long it takes… But whatever :D**

**DFTBA. **


	2. Tale of a Toddler

**As The Tables Turn**

**Chapter Two**

**Tale of a Toddler**

Looking up at Amelia with bright wide eyes, the child shuffled back on the bed away from her – the girl still staring at him in a stunned silence.

"How do you know my name?" Arthur asked, his voice a higher pitch and wavering in fear. "Who are you? Where am I?"

Amelia, breaking out of her stupor, sat down on the bed next to the toddler and smiled softly. So, their wish had come true? She could cope. "My name is Amelia E Jones," he explained. "I'm the United States of America."

"America?" Arthur asked, sitting up as he slowly started to trust the blue-eyed woman. "You're a nation like me?"

"Yes."

"I don't believe you. I've never heard of America."

"It's a land in the west," Amelia chuckled.

"There's land out west!? But all I can see is ocean…! And my big sister but… wow… So, how do you know me and where am I?"

"It's a long story as to how I know, but believe me, you are safe with me. I won't hurt you."

"You… seem believable…"

"You're at my house in America at the moment. By the way, how old are you?"

"Three… Why are you dressed so funny? You're a lady, ladies aren't meant to dress like men! They're meant to wear dresses and girly things!"

Laughing, Amelia shook her head and ran her fingers through her curls. "Times are a little different at the moment," she said. "Uh, the land that we're in has different dress codes."

"Okay…"

Amelia smiled at him, Arthur smiling back. He was finally calm, forgetting about the storm outside. He crawled over and sat on Amelia's lap, the American watching him and holding him softly. Arthur rested his small, untidy head against Amelia's stomach, yawning a little.

"Go to sleep if you want, Arthur," she said, smoothing the boy's back. Arthur shook his head. "Is it 'cos you're scared of the storm?" A nod. "I'll stay with you if you want."

Arthur looked up at her. "Would you? I'm always alone! Please stay!" To make his point, his little hands gripped at Amelia's shirt as he looked pleadingly at her with wide, tear-glittered eyes. Amelia had honestly never seen anything more cute ever, so smiled and nodded, making the small Brit beam at her.

"Thank you, Amelia!"

"It's no problem," Amelia smiled, getting under the covers. Arthur crawled under with her, snuggling against her chest. He rested his head above Amelia's heart, the soothing steady beat lulling him into sleep.

"Night, Amewia," he mumbled, sleep slurring his speech.

"Goodnight, Arthur."

* * *

Amelia woke up the next morning to a crashing sound coming from the kitchen. It took a moment for her to register what was going on and where she was, but as soon as she had she sat bolt upright in bed and looked around the room.

"Arthur?"

Neither adult nor child was in the room, so the American bolted out of bed to check around. She glanced out the bedroom window and saw that the storm had let up temporarily; the clouds were still thick and dark, meaning another storm was on the horizon. Sighing, Amelia hurried downstairs still hearing noises in the kitchen. Slowly, she entered the room and found the source of the noise.

Cupboard doors were hanging open, various boxes and utensils sprawled across the floor. Sat in the middle of the room, Arthur sat nibbling on an apple, a bowl on his head and a tin pot in front of him.

"Arthur, why didn't you wake me if you wanted food?"

"I'm used to fending for myself. It was no problem."

"I'd have happily got you food," Amelia smiled, sitting on the floor in front of him. "Besides, the kitchen's a mess now."

"I'm sorry," Arthur said quietly, thinking that he was in trouble. He was surprised to feel not a fist but a soft hand ruffling his hair. He looked up at Amelia, seeing the American smiling. "You're not mad?"

"You didn't know any better, so of course I'm not mad," she said brightly, twirling the bowl she'd removed from Arthur's head. The toddler looked up at her for a moment longer before climbing onto her lap and hugging her.

"I thought you were going to hit me…"

"Why would I hit you?"

"Everybody else does…"

Amelia rubbed Arthur's back soothingly. "Nobody will hit you when I'm with you. I won't let them."

"Really?"

"Really."

Arthur clutched Amelia's shirt again and held her tighter; he'd never met anyone quite as kind as her and he never wanted to let her go. Amelia stood up, carried him to the living room and sat on the sofa. Arthur let go of her finally, watching as Amelia walked over to a large bookcase and carried a strange coloured object back to him.

"What's that?"

"A picture book!"

Arthur looked at her confusedly for a moment and then crawled into Amelia's lap again and looked as the taller nation opened the book in front of him and told him a story based on the wonderful bright images before them.

"Do the pictures tell you the words?"

"Sorta. See, the only things in here is pictures, so I can create tons of different stories using them."

"That's amazing!"

Amelia chuckled, and Arthur looked at her upside down and smiled at her brightly. She smiled back, resisting the urge to kiss the toddler on the forehead. He maybe a child but he was still Arthur.

"I know!" Amelia beamed. "While I sort the kitchen, you can sit here and come up with your own story. Then you can tell me it when I come back."

"Okay!" Arthur smiled, giggling a little as Amelia put him softly on the sofa with a small bounce. He watched her leave the room, and then looked back at the picture book. He ran his small hands over the smooth paper delicately, trying to think of a story that he could tell Amelia. However, before he could think of anything a strange ringing noise happened. Arthur jumped and looked around, having no idea where the odd noise was coming from. He put the book on the sofa and then hopped down, climbing to the top of the bookcase for safety. He watched as Amelia hurried back into the room, noticing that the toddler was gone.

"Arthur?" she called, worry laced in his tone.

The toddler was surprised; no one had ever sounded worried about him before. He watched the American grow slightly more frantic before finally finding his voice.

"Up here…"

"What're you doing up there?"

"There's a scary noise…"

Amelia walked over to the book case and picked up the trembling toddler. Arthur clung to her and Amelia did her best to calm him.

"Come on, don't be scared! Didn't I promise I wouldn't let you get hurt?"

Arthur nodded. "But people have lied to be before."

"Well, I'm not lying. You are safe."

Arthur smiled and rest his head against her, watching as Amelia found the source of the ringing. It was her mobile phone, but to Arthur it looked like a peculiar glowing box.

"What do you want, French Fry?" sighed Amelia as she pressed a button to connect the call. On the other line was Francis so Arthur listened as the very familiar yet deeper voice answered.

"Amerique! Must you call me zat?"

"Yes."

"Very well! I was just calling to see 'ow you and Angleterre are doing. I 'eard of ze flood in your area."

"We're fine, Francis. It's-"

"How did you capture the frog in that tiny box?"

There was a moment of silence before Francis finally spoke up.

"Was zat Arthur?"

"Uh…"

"What's going on?"

Amelia sighed and explained everything, getting odd looks from Arthur.

"I guess you just 'ave to wait for it to wear off."

"Yeah…"

"Well, good luck!" He hung up, leaving Amelia staring at the phone. She exhaled and put it down on the table, flopping back onto the sofa with Arthur who sat facing her on her lap. Amelia was confused by the expression on the toddler's face.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"A-are you friends with France?"

"Not exactly…"

"Then, why did you tell him I was here? Now he's gunna come pick on me more!"

Amelia ruffled Arthur's hair and smiled reassuringly at him. "What did I promise you, Arthur?"

"Uh…"

"I won't let anyone hurt you."

"But!"

"Arthur, for once, believe me! I'm a hero, after all!"

Arthur giggled. "Heroes aren't real!" His smiled faded. "If they were then surely someone would have stopped everyone from picking on me…"

"Heroes are real," Amelia smiled. "I'll be your hero."

Arthur's smile returned and he looked up at Amelia thoughtfully. "Why would you want to protect me? I'm one of the smallest nations in the world."

"But I know that one day, you will be great and strong."

"Really?"

"Really."

Arthur hugged Amelia tightly, the American smiling and rubbing his back gently.

* * *

Amelia had taken Arthur into the kitchen a little while later and had prepared lunch for them, grinning as Arthur ate happily, kicking his little legs out in front of him.

"Do you like it, Arthur?"

"Ummmmm hmmmmm!"

The only problem, as Amelia was shocked to discover, was the fact that Arthur was a messy eater. He had food smeared up his face, on his tiny body and little crumbs in his hair. He smiled up at Amelia who couldn't help but melt at the sight.

"Come here," Amelia said, sitting Arthur on his lap. Arthur fidgeted a little as she picked the larger crumbs from his hair. "I think it's bath time!"

"No!" Arthur cried, trying to get away. Amelia kept her hold on him, trying not to hurt him and carried him upstairs. She entered the bathroom and started to run the bath. She held the struggling toddler in one arm and sorted the bath with the other. Once it was the right temperature, she added some bubbles and carefully stripped Arthur and put him in the tub. Arthur looked around him, giggling at his distorted reflection in the bubbles. After a moment, he started trying to pop them, so Amelia sat next to the bath and took some bubbles into her hand. She blew them into the air, smiling as Arthur watched them float around him. He put up no fight as she washed his hair with two sweet smelling gels, closing his eyes so the water didn't go in them. It was only when he realised Amelia was going to wash him with the red cloth in her hands did Arthur struggle to get away.

"No! I can do it myself!"

"You sure?"

"Yes. You can check afterwards if you must."

"Okay," Amelia nodded, handing Arthur the cloth.

The toddler smiled and washed himself, actually doing a pretty good job. He gave the cloth back to Amelia, who smiled and let him play for a bit. She laughed, getting soaked as Arthur splashed the water at her. She splashed a little back, making the toddler squeal and giggle in delight. When there were only a few islands of bubbles floating around the child, Amelia grabbed a fluffy white towel from the rack, picked Arthur out of the water and wrapped the towel around his tiny body. She pulled the plug as Arthur snuggled into the towel for warmth.

"It's so fluffy!" he smiled.

Amelia chuckled and helped dry him off, redressing him into his tiny tunic. Arthur looked up at him, smiling innocently. She grinned back and then looked out of the window: rain was pouring heavily once again and the sky was hidden by thick black clouds. Arthur shuffled closer to Amelia, his minute hands clutching at his trousers. Amelia looked down at him, confused for a moment. Then she remembered that Arthur didn't like storms.

Both nations jumped as a loud burst of thunder happened, Arthur looking up at Amelia. He looked confused and scared, his eyes glittered with tears.

"Amelia?" he asked, still clinging to her leg. "Why did you jump too?"

"It… The thunder made me jump…"

"Does it scare you too?"

Amelia paused. She knew how scared Arthur was of the storm; the look on his face was enough to confirm that. The problem was forming in her mind as she looked down at the green eyed child. She had never seen so much fear in his eyes; those eyes that usually had an acidic glow to them, holding such strength.

"No," she lied. "I'm not scared, it just caught me off guard for a moment! You know, like when someone jumps up behind you and shouts 'boo'! Let's go find something to do!"

"When I was on the bookcase earlier, I saw lots of water out of the window," Arthur said.

"Uh… Yeah… The storm's flooded us in," Amelia replied.

"Are we safe?" Arthur asked. "I maybe an island, but I'm still small!"

"Arthur, we'll be fine. There's a… magical charm around the house keeping the water out. Plus, I won't let anything happen to you."

Arthur only looked a little convinced, so Amelia lifted him up and sat him on her shoulders. Arthur squeaked in surprise, then giggled and hugged Amelia's head. The American smiled and walked out of the bathroom; neither realising the growing intensity of the storm. She took Arthur into the bedroom and sat him on the bed where Arthur watched as she grabbed something nearby. Amelia sat next to him and Arthur furrowed his brows in obvious confusion. Smiling at him, Amelia showed him a book that made the child's eyes light up; _Treasure Island_. She read the book over Arthur's shoulder, letting the minute nation look at the story. When they were finished, Amelia looked down at the child as he turned on her lap and beamed at her. She grinned back – she was really enjoying looking after him, intrigued to learn about what kind of child Arthur was and could have been all those centuries ago. Learning little details about the past before she and Matthew had taken over from their mother was certainly a new experience for her. Arthur had a look in his eyes that Amelia couldn't quite place, but she wasn't surprised with what the child said to him.

"I'd love to sail the ocean," he smiled. "I'd have to be careful in case I fell of the edge of the world, but it seems like so much fun…"

Alfred chuckled at the comment, remembering that in the time that Arthur had been a child that the people still believed the world to be as flat as a map. But as she looked down at the child running his hands over the decorated cover of the book, a thought dawned upon her. What if Arthur never returned to normal? Would she have to look after him for centuries until he returned to normal? She knew in an instant that she would do so, but the idea still scared her a little.

"Amewia?" Arthur yawned, tugging on the named nation's shirt to pull her from her thoughts. She looked down at him, seeing the 3 year old rub his eyes and yawn. "I'm sleepy…"

"Well, it is kind of late," she said, glancing at the digital alarm clock on her bedside table.

"I-if I go to bed now," Arthur asked uncertainly, "w-will you stay with me again?"

"Of course I will, Arthur," smiled the American.

After sorting them out for bed, Amelia taking the opportunity to change out of the clothes she'd been wear for longer than she cared to think about, she lifted the covers and let Arthur crawl under them. The tiny Briton smiled and snuggled up to her when the she laid down.

"Night, Amewia…"

"Night, Arthur."

Watching as Arthur fell asleep, Amelia smoothed her fingers through the little boy's hair soothingly, slowly drifting off her-self. Neither was aware of the ongoing storm outside the house; though the wind was howling, the thunder crashing and the rain splashing. A bright flash of lightning engulfed the room with white light, and Amelia (though still asleep) felt the weight on her chest increase.

_**Notes:**_

**Wahey, two updates in two days!**

**I guess it helps that this was already written and all I had to do was edit it… But still!**

**I see a fair few have faved the story and a couple of people are following, so hi to you people! Feel free to drop a comment – I'll try my best to reply!**


	3. The Vikings are Coming

**As The Tables Turn**

**Chapter Three**

**The Vikings Are Coming**

When Amelia awoke the next morning, she rubbed her head and looked around the room trying to remember what had happened the evening before. She could remember Arthur and something happening, but that was about it. She looked around her bedroom and down at her almost-empty bed, confused as to why it looked like two people had slept in it. She knew that she was an active sleeper sometimes, but it really did look as though she had spent the night with someone.

A blush grew on her face as she realised that the only other person in the house was Arthur, so if anyone had slept in her bed last night it would have been him. She got out of bed quickly and looked down at herself; she was in pyjamas so it must have been something innocent. She knew from past experiences that if she'd have done something, she would have woken up naked.

"Arthur?" she called out, jumping slightly when she heard a clatter in the kitchen downstairs. Pausing for a moment as he heard light footsteps running upstairs, Amelia opened the bedroom door to look outside of it.

"Amelia!" came a high pitched voice, Amelia only getting a slight glimpse of something blonde before getting tackled down onto the floor.

"Ah!" she yelped, looking up and seeing a very young and small Arthur sitting on her with an innocent grin on his face. She blinked as a small giggle escaped the boy, finally remembering that Arthur had been turned into a child. "Arthur, what are you doing? And, uh, how old are you?"

"I'm six!" Arthur grinned, laughing as Amelia sat up and made him roll onto her lap. "Amelia! There's water all around the house!"

Amelia nodded. "Yeah, we're flooded in. The storm's been pretty bad."

Arthur grinned. "I want to go out in it!" he laughed. "It looks fun!"

Rolling her eyes a little, Amelia picked the boy up under her arm and carried him, making him giggle and wriggle. "You can't go out in it; it's dangerous."

"Noooooooo!" Arthur whined. "I want to go put up a block!"

Amelia blinked and held Arthur normally, looking at him confusedly. "What do you mean?"

"Denmark and Norway!" Arthur cried. "I keep hearing stuff that they're going to try and invade me! I don't want that to happen!"

Amelia bounced Arthur slightly as she walked downstairs to the kitchen where it seemed that Arthur had been trying to get himself some food again. She sat the boy on the kitchen counter and smiled at him. "No one is going to invade you," she said. "Not while I'm here. I won't let them."

"But you've not been there," Arthur said, looking up at her. "I haven't seen you in ages. How are you meant to protect me if you're not there?"

Amelia blinked, getting a very bad case of déjà vu as she remembered a time that she had asked Arthur the very same question. She thought for a moment, looking down at the scared boy. Arthur hadn't been there for her from time to time, but for the entire time of being a colony Amelia couldn't remember any moments that she had to deal with an invading country. Arthur had dealt with it. But looking down at the small boy before her, Amelia realised that Arthur hadn't had anyone to help him like that. Francis had picked on him, his brothers had picked on him… Everyone that was meant to be there for him had turned against him.

Now he understood why it took a lot for Arthur to trust someone.

"Arthur, I promise you, you're not gonna be alone anymore," Amelia said, smoothing the boy's arm.

"Promise?" Arthur asked, looking up at her.

"Promise," Amelia smiled, ruffling Arthur's hair gently. Arthur giggled a little and opened his arms, the girl leaning down and picking him up in a hug.

"I love you, Amelia," Arthur smiled, nuzzling against her.

Amelia blinked and blushed a little before hugging Arthur closer and holding the back of his head. "I love you too, Arthur," she said. "Now, let's get you some food."

Arthur nodded and smiled, watching Amelia as she put him down on a seat at the kitchen table. He watched the American move over to the cupboard, leaning down and pulling out a bowl and a box. She poured out some cereal and put some milk onto it, putting a spoon into the bowl before putting it in front of Arthur.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's called cereal," Amelia smiled, sitting down with a bowl of his own. "It really tasty, trust me." To prove her point, she picked up her spoon and started to eat her own cereal. Arthur smiled and started to eat too, humming a little as he was surprised by the lovely taste.

After breakfast, Amelia had the same battle with she had had the day before to get Arthur into the bathroom, but in the end she managed to get him washed and dressed. After sorting herself out and changing into some fresh clothes, she took Arthur back downstairs; looking around the living room for something for them to do at the same time. She couldn't find anything, but when she looked around she noticed Arthur was knelt on the window sill with his hands pressed against the glass. He was looking out at the water, mainly out into the distance as if searching for something.

"What's wrong, Arthur?" Amelia asked, moving over to him.

"I wonder what it's like having freedom like they do?" he asked quietly.

"Like who do...?" Amelia questioned.

"Denmark and Norway," Arthur said, looking up at her in the reflection. "Everyone seems to have freedom except me… The bishop chases me when I have long hair, everyone picks on me because I'm small… If I ever get a little brother or sister, I'll do everything I can for them even if they don't want me to… I'll make sure they don't get hurt by the bigger countries or feel scared and lonely…"

Amelia blinked and picked Arthur up, hugging him close to her. "Trust me when I say this Arthur, you're capable of doing that and more. You will find that little sibling one day and you make him or her very happy."

Arthur looked up at her, tearing up a little. "Really?"

Amelia nodded and kissed his forehead. "Really, Arthur."

Arthur sniffed and rest his head on Amelia, clutching her shirt. He looked up at her and kissed her cheek quickly, blushing a little before hiding his face. Amelia blinked then smiled softly at him, kissing his head and holding him close.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Amelia noticed things about Arthur change slightly to aspects that she normally wouldn't be able to imagine. For instance, Arthur was at first quiet as he walked around trying to find something to do, but soon he started to run around madly and laugh. He shouted in Old English and began making toy weapons out of things lying around the house. Amelia found that she had to confiscate a few of the items, which then in turn made Arthur's bottom lip wobble. Her heart breaking at the sorry sight, each time Amelia would pick him up though as he started to cry, rocking him and humming until the boy would stop.

It was now 5 in the afternoon, and Amelia was sitting at the kitchen table. She had figured that it would be too much hassle to make a big dinner so she had made herself and Arthur some sandwiches instead. She looked around, hearing silence for once despite having called Arthur to come eat a few minutes ago.

Confused as she heard whispering, the American got to her feet and walked through the hallway to the living room and looked inside. She couldn't see any sign of life, so moved inside a bit more to investigate further. "Arthur?" she called out, trying to find the small boy. She was starting to get worried now. What if he had gone outside and got dragged away in the flood? What if he was taken? What if-

"WAH!" Arthur cried, jumping out of nowhere onto Amelia's back and clinging to her neck. Amelia shouted in shock, but held Arthur up as the boy laughed manically and nuzzled against her neck. "I'm a Viking, Amelia!"

"Are you really?" Alfred laughed, lifting Arthur above her head and holding him upside down above her. Arthur laughed more and reached down to hold Amelia's cheeks, grinning cutely.

"Uh huh!" Arthur giggled. "Mathias and Eirik aren't as bad as I thought they were going to be! This is fun! But they said I'm too little to do stuff like pillaging."

Amelia blinked slightly. "Of course you are!" she said. "Pillaging is... it's pretty bad, so don't do that... Why don't we go have something to eat though…"

"Okay!" Arthur grinned, holding onto Amelia as she carried him into the kitchen. He sat down at the table and started to eat the sandwich waiting for him sloppily, Amelia chuckling slightly as she sat and ate her own sandwich. She watched as Arthur devoured the meal quickly, the boy grinning brightly and waiting for Amelia to finish her food before climbing over the table, moving her plate out of the way and sitting in front of her.

"Yes?" she chuckled, folding her arms on Arthur's legs as the boy put his feet on her lap. Arthur giggled again and leapt forwards, wrapping his arms around Amelia's neck and hugging the American tightly.

"I love you, Amelia," he smiled, nuzzling against her. "Don't ever leave or forget me okay?"

"I won't, Arthur, I don't think it'll ever be possible for me to forget you," Amelia smiled, but then looked around as she saw the sky darkening once more. Arthur clung to her, watching the storm start up again before hiding against her neck in fear. "Let's go to my room and I'll read you a story, okay?" Arthur nodded so she picked him up carefully and took him up to her bedroom and sat him on the bed gently. Arthur climbed under the bedcovers and hid whilst Amelia closed the curtains tightly and shut the door.

Looking around her room, Amelia soon found an old book of fairytales Arthur had brought to her one day a very long time ago. It was beaten, worn and old but Amelia still enjoyed reading the tales. She got under the covers with Arthur, the boy hugging her side as she put one arm around him and opened the book on their laps.

"_Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above. There dwell the Sea King and his subjects. We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand. No, indeed; the most singular flowers and plants grow there; the leaves and stems of which are so pliant, that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life…_"

After a few hours, Arthur had fallen asleep on Amelia so the American set the book down and kissed the boy's head. She laid back and held him, smiling slightly to herself as she thought over the time with this child Arthur so far; she had been a good big sister, she hoped.

Soon she too fell asleep, Arthur changing once more as lightning flashed through the stormy sky.

_**Notes:**_

**And another one bites the dust!**

**Also, like the last time, if you can name the story Amelia reads then kudos to you!**

**I must say that I am enjoying going back into this story again - it's a breath of fresh air to working with a plotline I made when I was younger, knowing now that I can make it better.**

**Thanks for sticking around for this first little bit of the rewrite - original chapters will be coming along soon.**


	4. Knightmare

**As The Tables Turn**

**Chapter Four**

**Knightmare**

Groaning as she opened her eyes the next morning, Amelia kept her hands over her face as she felt like her head was about to split open. She had no clue what was going on or why she felt like she had been given the world's worst hangover; she hadn't been drinking at all so it couldn't have been that, so why on earth was her head hurting so badly.

Bracing herself for the oncoming dizziness, she took her hands away from her face and pressed them into the mattress so that she could use the leverage to push herself into a sitting position. Keeping her eyes closed, she remained still to get her bearings before opening them and looking around the room.

Everything looked the same except for her bed. That's when she remembered the situation she and Arthur were in and the fact that he, as a child, had spent another night in her bed. However, he was nowhere to be found. Furrowing her eyebrows together in confusion, she got out of bed and started to look around her room – looking in any and every crevasse that he could fit into, on top of her wardrobe, under her bed… But then she knew that he always seemed to wake before her and that he was growing increasingly by the day – she had no idea what kind of person he would be that day, he could be back to normal but chances were she was going to have to a bit more learning before that ever happened.

Looking down at her pyjamas, she quickly hurried back to her wardrobe and pulled out some fresh clothes and changed into them, tying her hair back into a scruffy ponytail as she tried to think of where to look for Arthur next. She was hoping beyond hope that he hadn't ventured outside into the floor waters seeing as many of his past forms were very adept at being in deep water. But she figured that looking around her house would be the best bet for the time being – her home was huge, there were four floors including the attic and basement with many rooms on all of them.

Amelia tried to plan out a route in her mind, thinking of all the places she knew that Arthur of any age would go whenever he visited her house in the past. The library was the first place that she could think of, his bedroom, the kitchen, the attic. She knew that he had no clue about her storeroom but that wasn't going to stop her from checking in there just in case. She figured that it would be one of those horrible twists where she would have to explain what the gun was, the toy soldiers and the many little dresses that she wore only once before throwing them in there to gather dust.

Sighing to herself, she went to leave her bedroom only to have her attention diverted as the landline on her bedside table began ringing. Wondering who it could be, she walked over and sat down, picking the phone up and holding it to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked, her free hand playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Hello, Amelia," came the quiet voice of her older brother.

"Mattie! Hey! Nice timing actually, I have something to ask," Amelia grinned, crossing her legs as she moved her hand to her jeans.

"Would this have anything to do with Arthur being a child at the moment?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah… How the hell did you know that?"

"Francis talks," Matthew replied, a chuckle in his tone. Amelia frowned.

"He's been telling people about this?!" she exclaimed. "What if they try to take advantage of Arthur while he's like this! What the fuck was he thinking?! Oh, I'm gonna slaughter that creepy alcoholic!"

"Whoa, Amie calm down!" said Matthew. "He only told me because he figured that you may end up needing help. I was getting worried the longer I didn't actually hear from you… so…"

"Oh, gee thanks, Bro," Amelia frowned. "You didn't think that I could handle this on my own?"

"No, I think you're capable, but you have a hard time thinking straight when random situations happen…" Matthew explained calmly. Amelia sighed and looked over at the mirror on her wardrobe door – Matthew didn't need to lie to her, she knew that she was far from ready for anything like this… She was learning now just how hard it must have been for Arthur caring for her back then… He was the same age then as she was now… "Amie?"

"I, actually… uh…" Amelia sighed. "Look, you know more about Arthur than I do… Where did he like going in my house?"

"What makes you say I know him more?" asked Matthew.

"Because you do," Amelia said. "You talk to him more without getting into arguments, he likes you more… It's just obvious…"

"He doesn't like me more, Amelia…" Matthew said. She remained silent. "He loves you. He's just stubborn… Like you are… I can't tell you much about him because I never felt the need to get to know him like you did."

"Matthew…" Amelia sighed.

"Who's his favourite author?"

"What?"

"Answer the questions I give you," Matthew said. "Who's his favourite author?"

"Playwright William Shakespeare," Amelia replied. "Novelist… Robert Louis Stephenson…"

"Okay, his favourite play?"

"_The Comedy of Errors_…"

"Book?"

"_The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde_…"

"TV show?"

"He doesn't watch TV that often but he said that he liked _Broadchurch_…"

"His favourite drink?"

"Matthew stop it…" Amelia sighed. "I know what you're trying to do… I know him…"

"Amelia, come on," Matthew said almost impatiently. "You and I both know that you've had feelings for him for a long time. This happened because you both wished _you_ would be able to see what it was like for him – now you're getting that chance. Learn what he went through as quickly as you can. It's so obvious to so many nations that you two love each other but your both so stubborn over the past that you won't give each other a chance…"

"Francis kept saying to me that I wanted my freedom to prove to him that I was more than just a little sister," Amelia said, flopping back on her bed. "But that was never the case… I never loved him romantically back then… I never rebelled for his love… That's counterproductive. I wanted freedom to grow as a person, to be seen as his equal. Because I was this small girl he could never see past that sexist shit. I'll admit… since Blitz that stupid butterfly feeling has been growing but…"

"You're not fooling anyone now, Amelia," Matthew smiled. "And neither is he."

"Then why does he act so cruelly towards me?"

"Because you're the same with him."

Amelia blinked and thought for a moment. It was true that she could be very mean to him on occasion, that they had always had that sort of cruel banter between them… "I have to make all of this right…"

"Then go and deal with him then," Matthew chuckled.

"Thanks, Matthew," Amelia smiled, hanging up and putting the phone back into its holder. She got up off of the bed and left her room, thinking before heading in the direction of the library. Because of the size of her home, Amelia had managed to create an entire room filled with books from all over the world that she had found on her own adventures and simple trips abroad – she had Japanese books on art gifted to her by Sakura, hefty novels given to her by Arthur as a joke which she surprised him by reading every last word, romance novels from Francis and Feliciana… So many shelves, some of which lined the walls, others forming aisles in the middle of the room.

She got to the room quickly, looking inside other rooms as she went along and entered quietly. The door creaked awfully as she opened it, Amelia cringing as she tried to make as little noise as possible. She'd have to get that oiled as soon as possible. She flicked the switch on the wall and turned on the lights to make it a little easier to see, heading further in so that she could walk along the aisles and over to the small reading area she had created with comfy chairs and a small table for her drinks.

Her footsteps creaked as she walked through the long aisles and that was the only thing she could hear. She couldn't see any sign that Arthur had even been there, no noise that would suggest that he was still in the room or any change in the environment that meant he could still be there.

Then she heard footsteps. Near the door.

Stopping in her tracks, Amelia stiffened. This was new. Whatever had made that noise wasn't anything that she had sensed before. It wasn't Arthur. She held her breath, crouching down onto the floor quietly to try and sneak to the door but the all of a sudden there was a hollow click and the lights turned off. Her eyes wide, Amelia stayed absolute silent as she heard the footsteps start moving through the aisles – the floorboards creaked with every step and Amelia could just about make out the squeak of old boots.

Making a beeline for the door, Amelia ran as quietly as she could, pulling the door shut behind her just as something started banging on the other side. She held onto the knob as she felt it start turning, looking around desperately for the best way to run – if she were to run back the way she came that would be too obvious, the stairs were that way so she could make an escape… But the other side rounded back towards that way but also led to the attic…

Letting go of the handle, she sprinted away from the door in the direction of the attic, not looking behind her as she heard the door slam open and heavy footsteps following behind her. She cursed to herself, not knowing what to do. Whatever was chasing her, she didn't know what it was and she knew that Arthur was nowhere to be found… She screamed as something sharp flew past her ear and crashed out of the windows in the hallways, taking a sharp right and heading down the next corridor towards the stairs.

Just as she was reaching them, something grabbed her from behind, colliding with her so hard that they tumbled down the stairs. All Amelia could feel was pain and somehow she knew that the thing that had sent her flying wasn't feeling any of what she was. Her head collided hard with the wooden floor of the hallway, stunning her for a moment until her senses came back just long enough to feel herself get lifted from the floor and thrown into the living room where she collided with the coffee table. She smashed through the glass top and yelled, not able to move without the glass shards cutting into her more and more.

Dazed and lethargic, she turned her head as much as she could when she heard a new noise – metal clinking along the floorboards. Her vision was hazy but she could make out a flash of silver and a strong person standing in front of her and defending her from whatever was attacking her. With no more energy, she let her head slip back down onto the glass and her eyes closed as the throbbing in her skull became too much.

* * *

Her eyes flickered as she woke up, but Amelia didn't know how long she had been out cold or where she was. She let her eyes refocus, looking down along her body to see she was back in her bed under the covers, though her arms were left over the top to keep the cover secure. She could see bandages along her arms with speckles of blood dotted along them from the cuts she received from the coffee table. She raised one arm to let her hand touch her head, feeling a bandage wrapped around her crown. She winced as she touched a tender spot, taking a deep breath before looking around her room.

That's when she noticed him.

Out of the armour that had made him look terrifying and strong, Arthur was no older than 17 years old and painfully thin, the same messy blonde hair she always recognised the only thing she could see of his head as it rested on folded arms upon the bed beside her. He wore baggy clothes that hung off his body, the armour left beside the bed and his sword on the bedside table where he would be able to reach it easily.

"Arthur…?" croaked Amelia, coughing slightly as she finally used her voice properly again. She looked round to see a glass of water on her other table, so sat up carefully and took it to sip it. Upon feeling the shifting on the bed, Arthur's head shot up and Amelia saw the dark circles under his eyes as he looked at her.

"Amelia…" he said, breathing out a sigh of relief. "You're okay… You're really okay…"

"Thanks to you," Amelia smiled, setting the glass down on the table when she was done. "What was that thing?"

"I don't know…" Arthur replied, shaking his head. "It was some kind of shadow but… of what I could not tell."

"Well, thank you for whatever you did to help me," Amelia said, shifting a little closer to him.

Arthur looked at her then towards the door. Amelia looked too, noticing how he had barricaded it. "I wanted to make sure…"

"You did the right thing," Amelia said. "Honestly… Thank you."

Arthur nodded. "Well… It is my duty as a knight of the king to ensure that everyone is safe. That includes you."

"You make it sound so exciting," Amelia chuckled.

"It's terrifying really…"

"Sorry…"

Arthur smiled a little and glanced at his uniform. "I feel healthy and unhealthy all at once… I'm strong for what I am to do, but I am so thin due to having to remain able to fit within my armour… It is an awful imbalance…"

"I don't know how you do it," Amelia said. "You're one brave-"

"Please, do not call me a child…" Arthur sighed. Amelia blinked. "I am not a child… or a 'kid' as you used to put it… I am older and I can fight for myself. I am seventeen years of age. I…"

"I wasn't going to call you a kid," Amelia said quietly. "I don't see you as a child or in need of protection… You won't understand this really but… I've never really seen you as a kid…"

"You…" Arthur blinked. "I don't understand…" He watched as Amelia got out of bed and walked around a little to make sure everything was working at least at the minimum it should be, getting to his feet and moving around the bed to stand in front of her. She blinked and looked up at him, both of them startled by the height different for a moment – Arthur was taller than her, but only by a few inches again.

"Arthur?" she muttered, looking up at him.

"I want to know, Amelia…" he said. "I need to know… There been something plaguing me… It's like… memories that are mine but not my own are seeping into my head and I can see and other nations… But mainly I see you and I… There are so many conflicting emotions…"

Amelia was startled, but as Arthur's words sunk in she felt overwhelmed. Her Arthur was slowly returning, that was apparent in his form but now in his mind. He was remembering things and that scared her a little.

"Amelia… I feel… there's anger… despair… h-happiness… love…" he whispered. "What is happening…?"

He tensed in surprise as Amelia stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around his torso, submitting to his urge to hold her close. She pressed her face to his chest and sniffed, Arthur blinking and leaning his face down on the top of her head as he felt her cry into his shirt.

"Amelia… what's the matter?" he asked, his voice muffled.

"I'm so sorry…" she sobbed. "For whatever is going on in your head or whatever is about to happen… I am so sorry…"

"What do you mean?" Arthur said, lifting his head to look down at her. Amelia looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. He froze.

"You may 'remember' me doing something…" she said. "I can't explain what really… but something has happened to you because of something we did and now you're… different… But at the same time you're becoming who you're meant to be… You'll just remember things you can't quite focus on… and that includes something that I have done… I… I hurt you and I never meant to… I just wanted you to see me as your equal… I never meant for you to get hurt… I… I…"

"Amelia, I have no clue what you're talking about…" Arthur said. "You hurt me? What does that even mean? All of it…"

"I don't know myself," Amelia said, choking on a sob. "I just don't want you to think badly of me when you do figure it out… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry for everything…"

"Amelia…" She continued to sob and apologise. "Amelia." Arthur frowned, realising she was so upset by whatever was happening she had gotten herself stuck in a mental block of apologies. He looked down at her as she cried against his chest again, gathering all his courage to hold her cheeks gently in his hands, guide her head to face upwards and press his lips to hers.

Amelia stood still; her eyes were wide for a moment before she let them slip closed and relaxed into him. Her hands lightly gripped at the back of his shirt as her body leaned into his, Arthur smoothing the tears away from her cheeks as he kissed her. As he pulled back, he looked down at her softly and watched as she slowly opened her eyes. He smiled with half his mouth as her blue locked with his green, Amelia's cheeks dusting with a light shade of pink as she smiled too.

"That's not really how I pictured this happening," she said quietly, her tone light, "but…"

They jumped apart and a loud banging happened against the bedroom door, the force so harsh that the barricade was moving away and the door opened bit by bit. Arthur glared at the structure and ran to the other side of the bed to grab his sword, pulling Amelia with him and keeping her behind him. They both knew that he wouldn't get his armour back on in time and Amelia wanted more than anything to help him, but she was still hurt and Arthur of that century was still in the mind-set that the woman needed protecting by their knights: no thought would come across his mind that she could protect herself. Especially after what had happened earlier.

With a loud bang, the door flew open and the solid shadow ran inside, practically flying over the bed at the pair. Amelia yelped as Arthur pushed her aside, stumbling as he shouted at her to run. She heard a clash of metal, glancing back at them to see that the shadow had struck Arthur's sword with one of its own…

"AMELIA, GO!" Arthur shouted. Amelia gasping slightly before running out of the room. She headed for the stairs and climbing down them quickly. She heard Arthur shout behind her then the pounding footsteps of the shadow.

There was nowhere to run as she entered the living room, so she turned and stood her ground. The shadow entered the room – man-sized and distorted by the outlines of clothes, a sword in its hand obscured by darkness just as the rest of its form was. Amelia tried to dodge as it swung its sword at her but could get only far enough away for it to strike her side.

She felt no blood and no cuts, just a strong enough force to send her to the ground with a crash, her head on the floor and her eyes closed as everything around her stopped.

_**Notes:**_

**I've been working hard I promise. **

**I've just been busy with other things too.**

**I want to get all my stories to a point where I feel comfortable. Mainly finish this one and maybe Cyber Island cos I want to work on a new story that a lot of people have seemed interested in… Bioshock/Hetalia. **

**But yeah! **

**I'll leave you guys to get over this randomness and yeah… **


	5. Acts of Piracy

**As The Tables Turn**

**Chapter Five**

**Acts of Piracy**

Feeling glass crunch beneath her body as she turned over, Amelia hissed in pain as it cut into her skin. Her eyes were clenched tightly shut but after a moment of breathing harshly between her teeth, she opened them to assess the damage.

Her arm was bleeding, the red staining her carpet as she shifted her arm once again. Picking out the shards of glass, some of which were fairly large, she thanked God that nothing major had been cut into. Holding her hand over the bleeding, she sat up cautiously to look at the rest of the damage. She could remember being cut at but nothing else but her elbow was bleeding.

Then everything came back to her in a sudden rush causing her to gasp and look around the room where her eyes landed on the form of her attacker.

Wearing a red coat and a hat so familiar yet so distance Amelia felt a shudder of nostalgia shock through her, he sat on the back of the sofa with his foot on the arm rest. His arm was resting cockily on his knee as he watched her with calculating eyes and a devilish smirk that made her want to curl up into the armchair behind her.

Arthur, physically nineteen years old, hopped down from the sofa and strode over to her, standing above her as she shifted back slightly. She had to crane her neck to look up at him, but his eyes never left hers. She felt unnerved by the sudden change in him, but she knew from the stories the other nations had told her that he was a completely different person during his pirate days.

She was terrified.

"You look scared," he said. Amelia swallowed thickly. What could she say to that? Admitting she was scared of something was out of the question for her in any situation, and if he knew through confirmation then he could use that to his advantage… But he could use anything to his advantage in this state.

"I just woke up bleeding on the floor lying on glass," she snapped, keeping the tone of her voice steady. "I was attacked by a shadow that turns out to be you and you say I look scared? I'm a little overwhelmed by the quickness of this whole thing, but never scared."

Arthur chuckled and crouched down beside her, tilting his head as he looked at the blood leaking through her fingers. Without asking, he took hold of her hand and pulled it away from the wound to look at it closer, Amelia trying to push him away only to have his surprisingly strong grip keep her hand away. "You're lucky, this is clotting already. You must be an incredibly fast healer."

"I feel so lucky," Amelia retorted.

"Who are you?" asked Arthur, standing to his full height. Amelia blinked.

"You don't know me?"

"I have not met you before in my life," Arthur replied, folding his arms and raising his eyebrows. "I have not seen this place and I do not remember coming here by choice. And looking at the state of you, I doubt a woman of your stature could handle someone in my position without the help of someone stronger."

"Excuse me?" Amelia said, getting to her feet. She paused a moment as her head swam a little, but it was nothing she couldn't handle – Arthur was right, her arm was healing quickly but the blood loss had already happened. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"My dear, I believe I am the British Empire," Arthur said, stepping closer to her so she had to crane her neck again. "I've created an empire the sun never sets on so you will have to excuse me if I do not believe a little woman such as yourself could do me much harm."

"You'd be very surprised what a little woman like me is capable of," Amelia said, glaring at him. Arthur laughed which only annoyed Amelia further. She went to stomp passed him but he caught her under the arm and held her back.

"And where do you think you're going?" he said, his tone dark.

"To clean the blood off my arm," Amelia said, attempting to pull her arm from his grip. However, she got a shock as he twisted her and threw her onto the sofa. He was on top of her within a split second, pinning her against the cushions in that uncharacteristically strong grip, his face close to hers and his eyes practically glowing with malice.

"You are not going anywhere but where I want you to," he said in a tone too calm for his actions. "And you will not do anything other than what I want you to."

"Let me go," Amelia said, looking up at him. Her heart was beating a mile a minute but she stared him in the eyes in which she noticed something – they flicked away from hers for a brief moment. If she hadn't been looking straight into them she would have missed it but it was there. Doubt. Lies. "You do remember me…"

"No, I do not."

"In some way you do," Amelia pressed. She laid calmly beneath him, still looking into his eyes. They were confused now. "I'm right, aren't I? You know me in some way."

Arthur didn't move himself off of her but his grip slackened. "I… No! No, I…" He couldn't hide it now. "There are thoughts in my head that are not my thoughts. Some are strong, some are weak. And most of them involve… they do involve you… It's like some force is granting me visions and I can't control what I remember… You… Your face is a constant feature with so many emotions… I don't know whether to hate you or… or love you and it's driving me mad… I don't know who you are and I do all at once…"

"I'm sorry this is happening," Amelia said. "But you have to let me go…"

"Why would I do that?" Arthur smirked. "Hate and love – the saying is they have a thin line between them, no? I have the ways and means to act upon both in a ways I have long since been satisfied with and you are a perfect candidate."

Amelia's eyes widened. "What…"

"Don't look so worried," Arthur laughed. "People assume that because I am who I am that I take full advantage of situations like sex. I was brought up through many centuries and throughout I witnessed things happen to women that even I questioned. I had a mother too and one day before she disappeared I witnessed the beginning of something that… I would not, for all the world, do that to someone – male or female. I will kill, I will defend, but I will not take advantage of someone like that."

Amelia released her face must have shown her surprise, as Arthur chuckled. He still pinned her down though. "Then why keep me like this?"

"Because I know above all else I want this and you seem like the kind who would fight me off if I gave no explanation."

"Well, you got that right… But who says I'll let you even with an explanation?" Amelia said. She blinked as Arthur leant down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips – it was just like the one in her bedroom earlier, when he was younger and calming her down from the hysteria she was drawing herself into. She knew he remembered that at least. When he pulled back slightly, his breath ghosting over her lips, he looked down at her and saw the expression on her face that told him that ghost of a memory was true.

"You have feelings for me," he said quietly. "Or some form of me, at least. I know not what is going on and why I am here… But maybe it is for a lesson only you can learn…"

"But what could I learn here?"

"To let go?" Arthur said, smirking faintly. Amelia would have hit him if her arms were free but she could help the chuckle that escaped her. "I mean it though… You may not think so but you are tense. You're acting older than your years – you need to let go and live."

"Then let go of me," Amelia replied. Looking at her for a moment, Arthur assessed her before letting her go and sitting up. She did the same but ended up close to him. They looked at each other, Amelia changing her position to sit on her knees. Arthur twisted slightly to keep his eyes on her, letting them follow her hands as she reached towards him and ran them lightly over his shoulders to push his coat off. Encouraged, he held her waist and pulled her towards him so she straddled his lap – one hand now resting against the base of her back the other working its way up to cup her cheek and steer her into a deep kiss.

In so many ways Amelia felt that what they were doing was wrong, that they shouldn't be doing it, yet at the same time it felt right. Like this was what they were intended to do. With the coat resting on the sofa behind them, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back – both of them closing their eyes and leaning backwards as they allowed themselves to get lost in the moment. He hummed as Amelia's lithe fingers carded through his messy hair, her nails running across his scalp and sending jolts through him he had experienced before yet felt so different.

Still locked in their embrace, Arthur stood and lifted Amelia with him, the girl wrapping her legs around his waist. But then the absurdity of the situation dawned on her and she pulled away from him, dropping her legs to the floor but unable to move away from him because of the tight hold he had on her body.

"What are you doing?" questioned Arthur, keeping her close to him. "You want this, don't you?"

"You have no idea how long I have," Amelia replied. "But I don't want it like this…"

"What do you mean?" Arthur said, his eyes narrowing. "Am I not good enough for you?"

"What? No!" Amelia said, shaking her head. She squeaked as Arthur shoved her away though, unable to keep herself on her feet from the momentum and ending up hitting the floor hard. She hissed slightly as she knocked her arm, looking up at him and watching him stomp away from her. He was pacing in front of the fireplace, his eyes angry. "No… Arthur, I… I love you… It's taken me a while to come to terms with it but I do… and I want to be with you… But, there is something out of this world happening to you right now and I can't do that to you… I can't do it to myself either… You have to understand…"

"No, actually don't have to understand," Arthur snapped, rounding on her. Amelia gasped as she was suddenly grabbed, lifted off the ground and pinned harshly against the wall. She felt a jolt of pain run through her and had no leverage to fight back as Arthur held her in place. "I gave you a chance to comply, you stupid girl, and you threw that chance away!"

"So what are you gonna do now then?" Amelia said, trying not to groan as his fingers gripped her arms brutally. "Force me? Hurt me? Assert your dominance like the big man you are? I'll tell you this now, Arthur, I've had a lot done to me over the years… Even by you..."

Arthur froze for a second before his grip slackened and he let Amelia go. He looked her up and down, the girl knowing he was likely remembering something he couldn't place. She wondered whether it was him burning her capital to the ground? How he stood over her as she curled up on the ground screaming, crying, clutching her chest as if her heart was about to melt out of her rib cage and through her skin onto the ash covered ground…

"What kind of sorceress are you…?" he breathed before running from the room.

* * *

After finally cleaning her arm and patching herself up, a very sore Amelia started to make her way around the enormous mansion trying to find anywhere the troubled Brit could have gone to. She tried the library but he wasn't there, she tried the storeroom but he wasn't there, and she tried all of the other floors. Finally she came to the end of the corridor where the ladder to the attic was down and the hatch left open.

She climbed up to the final level of the house and peaked her head inside quietly and cautiously. On the other side of the room, sat beside the large round window that overlooked the large green garden and forest behind her home, Amelia saw Arthur leaning against the pane, his hat on the floor by his side, his boots kicked off leaving his feet in tattered, worn socks and a pile of books around him that Amelia hadn't looked in in a very long time.

She knew what they were of course. They were her photo albums. When she had gotten sick one year she had taken to wandering around the mansion alone as she tried to escape her brother who had travelled to her home to care for her. She had told him she could care for herself… until she had collapsed into unconsciousness whilst on the phone with him… But she had entered her attack for the first time in roughly 50 years and looked around the old pieces of history she still had up there rather than her storeroom. She had found old paintings, professionally crafted and intricately captured portraits from when she was young – of her and Matthew with Arthur, together alone, with Arthur individually, even with Francis in a couple… They started from when she was three years old, all the way through to before her revolution. Then the age of photography arrived and she jumped in on the craze, improving her skills as a photographer, but also getting other people to take pictures of herself and the people she cared about at the time. She and Matthew had made copies of everything, getting the portraits professionally scanned and rendered to not only preserve them but to place them as photographs in albums that spanned nearly 300 years…

Walking over to him with gentle footsteps, Amelia knelt on the floor beside him and looked at the page he was staring at. It was one of the portraits, one of him and a little girl with bright blue eyes and a great big grin. Her when she was 5 years old. She had her arms around his neck as he held her practically sat on his right shoulder. He looked so happy looking up at her… Arthur turned his head to look at her, so many ghosts swimming in his eyes.

"This is why I wanted to wait until you were in your right mind…" Amelia whispered softly.

"What am I to you, Amelia?" Arthur asked, looking back at the image. He traced his fingers over the little girl's face, the feeling of misplaced nostalgia plaguing him. "This is you, isn't it? The little girl in my arms…"

"That's me," Amelia nodded. "When I was a child, you adopted me as your little sister… You cared for me and made sure I was fine… But I grew up suppressed and… resentful… and I hurt you in a way I never truly intended to… For a long time, we didn't speak… You hurt me in return… Then I helped you and a bunch of other people in some horrifically terrifying events… Until the world calmed down enough to call it a day, let us Nations have a break… And we spent more time together, collaborated on amazing projects and… you started to seem like you enjoyed being near me again… I didn't want to admit it to myself that I'd fallen in love with you because you didn't seem interested… Only one time did you seem interested… dazed me…"

"Before I ask what happened, I need to get this straight in my head… You aren't my sister?"

"No. Not an ounce of blood relation between us."

"And you're… how old? If you don't mind my asking…"

"Human age 19," Amelia said. "Nation age 239."

"And when did I find you?"

"When I was 3 years old in human years… Um… 10? 20 years in Nation years? I can't really remember…"

"You don't remember a year?"

"Oh! Uh… It began around… 1607… I think…"

"Soon then…" Arthur said, running a hand through his hair. "My head says it's 1605…"

Amelia placed her hand gently on his, feeling reassured as he turned his hand over and held hers. "Now, do you want to hear what happened when I dazed you?"

Arthur chuckled. "As… dazed as I am right now, yes."

"Well, I had thrown another awesome New Year's party and invited everyone to come along," Amelia grinned. "Not everyone came, but a hell of a lot of people did. Including you. And the countdown started to begin, and everyone was getting near the people they would prefer to be near at New Year's. I don't know for in your current time but there's a tradition now that you kiss someone at midnight on New Year's to get good luck for the rest of the year… Something like that… Anyway, I was by myself when suddenly Francis pops up out of nowhere and drags me across the room. I was freaking out cos I didn't know what he would do and I didn't want to kiss him but then you came over and pulled him off me. You told him off but then he pointed out I had to kiss someone at midnight and I was a little sad… You know cos Francis was the only person who'd tried to do anything but he wasn't actually interested… No one was interested in me and it hurt a little, but then you turned me slowly… you smiled and said 'happy new year's, Amelia' and then kissed me…"

"Why did nothing happen after that?"

"Because you went weird afterwards," Amelia shrugged. "When we pulled back and you realised that a fair few people had seen it you just nodded to me and walked off. I tried to talk to you about it but you said that it was just for New Year's… It didn't mean a thing…"

"I feel like an arsehole…"

"I thought you were at that moment…" Amelia admitted. "But, I couldn't shake the feeling and I could also not admit it… So we stuck to just being civil with one another…"

Arthur nodded and continued to look through the albums. "Can I… Can I have some time alone please?"

"Of course," Amelia said. She hesitated for a moment before leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. Arthur looked at her and smiled a little, smoothing her hand and letting her go back to the entrance of the attic. He sighed softly when she left, looking down at the albums surrounding him wondering just how long he would suffer at the hands of whatever spell had been cast upon him…

_**Notes:**_

**It's been a little while since I updated this but I lost track on where I was going, I wanted to do other things, I got really busy and the fact that I keep having little moments where I just lose motivation.**

**But I'm going to get this story done. Then Cyber Island. I might start the Biotalia story straight away when this one is done because… I'm scrapping The New Age and Frost Bite. Lost all momentum with them both so there's no point in keeping them there when I know I won't continue them.**

**Sorry if anyone was waiting patiently for them, but it's not fair to make you wait any longer for something that isn't going to happen…**

**But yeah. I was tired of totally cliché Pirate Arthur being a complete rapist. In my head, I feel he'd be less restrained but have some common decency being who he is and what he's seen. Sorry if I disappointed anyone but whatevs.**


End file.
